In Reply: A frequent theme in police reports
after a collision between a motor vehicle and an older pedestrian in our study
was that the driver failed to notice the pedestrian until it was too late
to stop. The prominent warning signs described by Dr Hill seem a well-intended
step toward addressing driver inattention. Our study provided no direct evidence
about how well such signs would work for preventing collisions, but it did
suggest that not all well-intended interventions necessarily achieve their
aims. We support Hill's call for studies of the effectiveness of attempts
to improve signage and signalization at pedestrian crosswalks. Such studies
might even use a randomized-trial design to minimize confounding.